12 Careers in hotel management (with duties and salaries)

Hotels are a key component of the hospitality and tourism industry, with many individuals required to manage hotels to ensure they run successfully. These roles ensure the proper management and quality assurance of the food, facilities and customer service a hotel provides. If you're interested in getting a job in hotel management, learning more about the various roles you can choose from can be beneficial. In this article, we explore 12 careers in hotel management that you may wish to pursue, including their primary duties and average salaries.

What are careers in hotel management?

Careers in hotel management are any roles that involve or contribute to the managing of a hotel. Hotel management is the process of overseeing all aspects of running a hotel establishment. Some tasks of hotel management may include managing its budgets, carrying out housekeeping services, maintaining the property, communicating with guests, ensuring safety for guests and staff and improving and optimising the process of coordinating and managing guests.

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12 careers in hotel management

You can choose from a wide range of careers in hotel management. Below are a few examples:

1. Housekeeping manager

National average salary: £18,003 per year

Primary duties: Housekeeping managers are responsible for ensuring that their staff effectively clean all the hotel rooms and linens. Their teams carry out such tasks as removing used laundry, putting fresh sheets on beds, sweeping, vacuuming, dusting and disinfecting surfaces in the room. They also clean the toilets, basins, showers and baths. Housekeeping managers strive to provide a high level of cleanliness to provide guests with the best possible experience. Housekeeping managers define cleanliness standards, create housekeeping schedules and train new employees. They are also responsible for stocktaking and ordering cleaning equipment, linen and room supplies.

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2. Banquet manager

National average salary: £27,049 per year

Primary duties: Most hotels offer banquets for guests, which are events for which the hotel provides seating and catering. These events may include corporate functions, award ceremonies, weddings or conferences. Banquet managers are responsible for consulting with the organising guest about the requirements of the banquet, determining the number of staff required to service the banquet, creating a menu for the banquet and planning and setting up the banquet. Banquet managers work closely with the head chef and report to the general manager.

3. Food and beverage manager

National average salary: £27,050 per year

Primary duties: Food and beverage managers are responsible for overseeing the ordering and management of all food and beverages in the hotel. These managers forecast, plan and control the usage of all the food and drinks in the restaurant or for room service, plus other complimentary drinks and snacks in the hotel. Food and beverage managers work closely with the finance manager, restaurant manager, head chef and banquet manager and report to the general manager.

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4. Restaurant manager

National average salary: £28,927 per year

Primary duties: Many hotels have in-house restaurants and provide food services for their guests such as room service. Restaurant managers at hotels are responsible for managing the running of such food services, including creating and managing food menus and training new restaurant waiters and room service staff. They also ensure that guests have positive experiences at the restaurant and may attend to guest complaints. Restaurant managers may implement additional sanitation measures to ensure the restaurant dining areas are clean. Restaurant managers work closely with the food and beverage manager and head chef and report to the general manager.

5. Property manager

National average salary: £30,232 per year

Primary duties: Property managers of hotels ensure that the property remains in good working order for guests and staff. They review the assets and equipment of the hotel and assess when to replace items and when to repair them. As an example, they may review the assets of the kitchen, such as refrigerators, freezers, ovens and stoves and decide whether to replace or upgrade them. They work closely with the maintenance manager and the financial manager and report to the general manager.

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6. Front office manager

National average salary: £32,140 per year

Primary duties: Front office managers are responsible for handling interactions with guests at the front desk or office. The front desk is where guests first come into contact with the hotel and staff and often where they form their first impressions of the hotel. Front office managers manage and train front office staff, deal with guest issues and create schedules for their team. They report to the general manager and are the liaison between the general management and the front office staff.

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7. Maintenance manager

National average salary: £36,629 per year

Primary duties: The maintenance manager maintains the hotel's facilities and ensures they are in good working order for guests and staff. This may include fixing broken furniture, replacing broken lights and servicing appliances. The maintenance manager typically has a maintenance team to perform the work and may step in from time to time to assist. The maintenance manager works closely with the property manager and reports directly to the general manager.

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8. Sales manager

National average salary: £38,520 per year

Primary duties: The sales manager of a hotel has the responsibility of increasing its profits by finding new guests and attracting them to the hotel. They liaise with prospective guests and provide them with beneficial packages or discounts to influence their choice of hotel. Smaller hotels may combine sales management and marketing management into one role. Sales managers work closely with the marketing manager and report directly to the general manager.

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9. Marketing manager

National average salary: £38,771 per year

Primary duties: The marketing manager is responsible for advertising the hotel to the public to increase the public awareness of the hotel and attract new guests. The marketing manager may use various forms of advertising within the marketing budget. Marketing techniques can include forming partnerships with other travel companies or creating print or social media advertising campaigns. The marketing manager works closely with the finance manager and reports directly to the general manager.

10. General manager

National average salary: £39,498 per year

Primary duties: The general manager of a hotel is responsible for its overall function. The managers of all teams within the hotel report directly to the general manager. The general manager monitors and provides direction to the managers when required. They are also responsible for hiring new managers and overseeing the hiring processes other managers use. General managers report directly to the hotel owner and ensure that the hotel meets the requirements and targets set by the owner.

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11. Human resources manager

National average salary: £41,150 per year

Primary duties: The human resources manager oversees and facilitates the communication between team members and managers. They are also responsible for facilitating and assisting managers with interviewing and hiring new employees for their teams. They assist with recommending salary and benefit packages for new employees. Human resources managers also assist with efforts to boost staff morale and overall satisfaction.

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12. Finance manager

National average salary: £44,707 per year

Primary duties: The finance manager of a hotel oversees the finances of the hotel collectively and is responsible for making sure the hotel makes the desired profit. They work with the managers of each team to track spending and set budgets for their needs, meeting frequently to reassess and adjust targets to ensure the hotel is working in a cost-effective way. The finance manager reports directly to the general manager, keeping them updated with financial tracking and monitoring.

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Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.